Ahh, the scent of Zen!
At the Zendo where I sit on Tuesdays, this tea is always served after the zazen session, in small cups, while we sit in a circle for the informal part. To make it REALLY good, they steep it for well over an hour while we do our zazen, and THEN serve it to us. Unfortunately for me, I’m very sensitive to tannic acid, and it drives me bonkers. However, I also do really enjoy the flavour of it, so I can tolerate it quite well.
When Venerable Eshu (our abbot!) was explaining the steeping process, he mentioned that “And if you steep it for 12 hours, it makes your tongue go numb!” He seemed to think of this as a positive trait, but I"m not sure I’ve been meditating long enough to appreciate that.
